30 June 2011
New ideas and materials are the hallmarks of Adeola Balogun’s recent exhibition in Lagos, Adewole Ajao writes Adeola Balogun has a thing for new media. This much was evident in his latest solo show, which opened yesterday at the Quintessence in the Ikoyi neighbourhood of Lagos. Titled Ants and Giants, the show, which ends in two weeks, featured 20 works.
His well-known romance with metal continues in this latest show but his inclusion of rubber means that he is extending his visual vocabulary. According to him, this recent experiment started at his 2010 show at the Nike Art Gallery in Lekki, titled Infinite Patterns.
The recent Arab uprising had an osmotic influence on his sensibilities. The artist was inspired to weave the story into his art. This explains the exhibition’s title, which metaphorically alludes to the relationship between leaders and their citizens.
“We are all aware of what is happening in the Arab world because it ignited this particular show,” said the artist. “[Hosni Mubarak] was like a giant then until the revolution. It is like a reminder to so-called powerful godfathers that nothing lasts forever. When people are suppressed and do not have peaceful change, there is no way you can prevent them from having a violent one.”
The viewer needs the artist’s guide into his complex world of socio-political messages expressed in representational or abstract mixed-media pieces. These mixed-media pieces, according to the artist, were contrived from old generator parts which he had kept over the years. So besides being mementos of his experiences with a quack engineer, Balogun argues that these old electrical generating set parts are now symbols of his proactive ideology.
“I try to inspire the populace to achieve their goals instead of reminding them that there is no light or water. I believe that if you talk about such things the more you attract them. To a large extent the followers and leaders have a role to play in this because when you talk about what society needs, there are certain things some of us cannot do.”
Animals, for him, become metaphors for power. There is “Ten Tons”, a metal buffalo bust forged from crane hooks and copper wiring while “Defence mechanism” is a rubber and metal beast that seems poised to gore a victim. Balogun owes this predilection for animals as metaphor to a recent liaison with the NCF (Nigerian Conservation Foundation).
“Since then, I have become interested in animals as I had to research into their existence. I now looked it am as an advantage since I made works for them. The buffalo thing in this exhibition was inspired by a documentary reflecting the power of an animal, which the lion cannot even stand. Lions too have their way of hunting but in a situation where they come together, they ward off and even kill lions. The masses [too] have this power given coordination.”
Balogun’s gospel of change is also about development. This is especially expressed in the mixed media pieces made from metal, wires, tyre pieces and other items to depict the fertility of Nigerian soil for agriculture.
“Today these resources are just lying there,” he added with a somber look. “Farming has been abandoned and we are a micro economy. Everyone should have an individual farm and this is where the government can come in. I used this to allude to the fertility of our forests and one of the challenges we have.”
The artist further appeals for stable electricity. For him, regular power is the answer to many of the societal problems.
“We talk of Boko Haram who consist of jobless youths, and I feel the core of this problem has to do with power. As a practising artist, I know what I spend to power my studio by generator. If only the government could give us power, a lot of problems we have in this country would die down naturally.”
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Nigeria: Rooting for Change